The Jacksonville Jaguars were big spenders this offseason and ended up handing out the most guaranteed money in NFL history when it came to free agency. And while the draft has yet to arrive, many believe they should make a significant amount of progress when factoring in the hiring of Doug Pederson, too.
However, Nate Davis of USA TODAY is clearly in wait-and-see mode and is waiting until the regular season to see if it all translates on the field. That’s why the Jags only jumped one spot in his latest post-free agency power rankings, where he slotted them 27th overall.
27. Jaguars (28): Their fiscal habits in 2022 appear nearly as dubious as those of 2021. But even with QB Trevor Lawrence positioned to progress significantly under new coach Doug Pederson, you have to overpay to bring teal chip-caliber talent to Duval County.
For the Jags, 27th may be way better than expected in the eyes of some fans. It certainly marks significant progress from where they were in USA TODAY’s power rankings that concluded the regular season where the Jags were ranked 30th.
The Jags were able to land Trevor Lawrence a new lineman with All-Pro and Pro Bowl accolades in Brandon Scherff and also added some new pass-catchers into the mix with Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones.
As for the rest of the AFC South, the Houston Texans were the lowest-ranked team after taking the last spot in the rankings. The Indianapolis Colts, who were previously at the No. 21 spot, skyrocketed into the top-10 and found themselves at the No. 8 spot thanks to the addition of quarterback Matt Ryan. Then lastly, the Tennessee Titans fell back a few spots, moving from the No. 5 spot to No. 11.